Dark Horse launches line of Stranger Things comics

Stranger Things became a Netflix phenomenon through its remarkable synthesis of nerd culture, remixing Steven Spielberg movies by way of John Carpenter while sprinkling in modern-day ’80s nostalgia and an impeccable young cast. So perhaps it was only a matter of time before the franchise branched out into other nerd-adjacent media platforms. That time has now come, and EW can exclusively announce that Netflix is teaming up with Dark Horse to publish a line of comics based on Stranger Things, with the first series set to launch this September.

“Dark Horse is known for championing stories and storytellers,” Dark Horse President Mike Richardson said in a statement. “We are so excited to work with Netflix to bring the world of Stranger Things to comics.”

This partnership is set to consist of “a multi-year publishing line” that will give Stranger Things fans “an opportunity to explore the mysterious world of Hawkins, Indiana,” according to Dark Horse. The first series in the line, launching this fall, will explore the adventures of Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) after he was transported to the horrific extra-dimensional Upside Down at the beginning of season 1. Viewers only saw Will reappear in that season’s finale when he was finally found by his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder), but obviously a lot happened in the interim. This four-issue Stranger Things miniseries — written by Jody Houser, illustrated by Stefano Martino, inked by Keith Champagne, colored by Lauren Affe, and lettered by Nate Piekos — will finally give fans a look at what happened to Will in the Upside Down.